Superman & Lois S1: Spoilers, Discussion, & Speculation

[Vakanai]

They didn't show it, but the show confirmed that John's daughter is no more I think, verbally.

[Jabare]

so where is this planets John Henry Irons? Maybe he is still alive?

[Mistah K88]

so where is this planets John Henry Irons? Maybe he is still alive?

I think they said he was killed by a bullet 6 years ago. I'm wondering what this universe's John Irons life was like before he died. We know he was military, but did he have any family?

[manwhohaseverything]

That's VERY good news! Now that I think about it, though... since Jon has always been the "well-adjusted" one and Jordan looks more like comics' Jon... I could see Jonathan getting Connor-like powers and his version of "acting out" could be the leather jacket/piercings/etc thing that Connor did in the 90's. That could be kinda cool.

Jordan is nothing like comicbook jon.He only has the unstable powers gimmik..He's whiny,angsty...etc.Jon is reckless,goofy,sunny,emotional,sensitive...etc.And above everything he is energetic.Jon in this episode is exactly what jon in comics does.He actively seeks things and wants things.He jumps in and makes a mess sometimes.He seeks power and getting better.Now,from clark's point of view.that itself might be wrong.But,Damian would say otherwise.Batman would say otherwise.Goldenage superman would say otherwise.Where and how he gets it is the arc.

Jon from day one is about fairplay in the show.He was glad that he didn't have powers because then that would mean he was cheating while he was playing football.
"Skill being legit".
is what i would want jon to have..He earn his powers.He brings himself up.Not by tearing down others like batman does.But,by getting stronger in whatever field whether it be in the mind,the spirit or body...

I see him more going down the "jealous brother becomes villain" road. Or Jordan loses it and becomes a villain himself. One of the two.

Yeah! yuck! more cain and abel religious shtick...why can't superman just break free from that point of view is beyond me.

[Vordan]

I think they said he was killed by a bullet 6 years ago. I'm wondering what this universe's John Irons life was like before he died. We know he was military, but did he have any family?

Earth Prime’s John is dead and they haven’t mentioned if he has any surviving family members yet (unless it was clarified in this week’s episode which I haven’t seen yet).

[Jabare]

I don't believe he's dead they left it open ended with that mysterious circumstances line

[manwhohaseverything]

Yeah! the guy might be building his suit somewhere...I still don't care for steel as character and his ability.For a mecha, he is bland as heck...Then again superman himself is a flyingbrick..So whatever.

[OpaqueGiraffe17]

pretty Lois heavy episode and on the emotional side, I was noticing that a Kent seems to have a near death experience almost every episode. I guess it was only a matter of time before that sinked in. Wouldn't be surprised if the rest of the family is in therapy by the end.

- While I like result, Irons sparing Superman and getting free was kinda rushed
- looke like that theory you guys had about the body possessing kryptonians was right, that being said could they be clones? I noticed sometimes evil Superman is wearing his elseworlds while others its a black version of his current suit.
- The Kents probably should have called for a bomb squad or something first.
-This show handles the family drama sooo much better than the other Arrowverse shows hope it continues that way.
-That Trask guy was a villain from the Lois and Clark show, glad that prick didn't last long in this universe.

[phonogram12]

pretty Lois heavy episode and on the emotional side, I was noticing that a Kent seems to have a near death experience almost every episode. I guess it was only a matter of time before that sinked in. Wouldn't be surprised if the rest of the family is in therapy by the end.

-This show handles the family drama sooo much better than the other Arrowverse shows hope it continues that way.

No kidding. That said, this is not the Superman show I was expecting in the least. Outside of the cartoons, this has to be (IMHO) the best iteration of Superman on the small screen since the old '50s tv show. I just can't get over how well-written and portrayed Clark and Lois are. Lois is strong and assertive but is still warm and likeable, which is a feat many Hollywood writers simply are not capable of. And this show's Clark has somehow managed to find that sweet spot for the character. Like Lois, strong and assertive as Superman, but even in the company of his own family, kind of a big loveable dork.

This show is so much more than I was expecting it to be. I mean, you don't expect a superhero show to deal with a subject like a miscarriage so sensitively.

[superduperman]

My guess is that Natalie doesn't exist on Earth Prime but Natasha does and she just happens to be the niece of that world's John Henry Irons and will conveniently look like the exact same actress as Natalie.

[Quinlan58]

OK, another episode I liked:

Lois

Obviously the main focus of the episode. I'm 100% unqualified to talk about how respectfully or disrespectfully the trauma over having a miscarriage was handled, but I did like how it said Lois' way of coping with trauma was by doing things, making sure she doesn't slow down and refusing to acknowledge how much it affected her, and how that just displaced her grief until it exploded. I liked Clark acknowledging that, while he's always willing to help her, it may not be his help that she needs. I liked Lois talking John down from killing Superman, by relating the helplessness they both feel as parents. I liked the exact words she used in her tirade with Jon, calling him "reckless and stupid and if he got himself killed it would have been his fault", because those are the exact same criticisms people often lobby at the Lois Lane character, so it was a great choice to convey that she was unloading her issues during that scene.

Jon

There's this neat parallel between him and Lois where, right after an obviously upsetting experience, they both claim they're fine. Of course, in Lois' case Clark calls her out on that and suggests she sees her old therapist. In Jon's case, it's immediately followed by the scene where Lois explodes at him, and while we do get Clark saying he'll talk to Jon, we don't actually see it happen. Later, we see him reach out to Jordan, but both of them pretty quickly set that aside to concetrate on supporting Sarah.

Obligatory mention of the almost comical way this show treats Jon aside, I did like him a lot in this episode. His "sorry I didn't get to know you, sis" comment while watching pictures of Natalie, his worrying excitement at the weapons in JHI's van that work so great being in the exact same episode where both him and Jordan give up the football team until further notice, the comment on how using John's hammer in the previous episode made him feel in control. I do wish the weapons he saw hadn't been guns, though, because I think it would have worked better if he had gotten excited over weapons that demanded physical effort from him, like the hammer. Then again, him getting excited over hammers wouldn't have conveyed the tone half as well as "emotionally frustrated teen gets excited over guns".

The last scene between Lois and Jon was pretty good, and it makes me hope he doesn't get powers this season, though going by the preview for next episode, it seems the theory that he'll get powers from Edge may turn out right.

John Henry Irons

A pretty solid continuation of the last episode for him. I was fine with how fast he decided to spare Superman's life, since I'm certain he'll be a hero in the rest of the show and we don't want to cement him too much as an antagonist before that happens. Him getting released from custody, though, right as they get proof that at least the "army of Kryptonians" part of his backstory also applies to this universe, was unbelievable. I understand if they didn't want to have him working with Sam, since Sam is being continuously framed as someone who'll eventually turn on Clark and the show wants to move on from that angle for John, but seriously, it made no sense for John to just get released so easily.

Did like him deleting the Captain Luthor profile from the AI, leaving that part of his life behind.

Sam Lane

Despite what I said above, I'm getting mixed signs on this Sam. He makes weapons that could kill his son-in-law, but as he said, it's his job to prepare for the worst, and he acknowledges the massive breach of trust this constitutes and promises to work on regaining it. He's prepared to torture John, but immediately relents when informed of how much of a better person his counterpart was. He's at the spot where it's equally plausible for the show to redeem him and to make him a full-fledged antagonist.

The Lang-Cushing family

It's all about Kyle. Sarah's scenes here were about finding people to rely on after her father once again proved that couldn't be him. The emotional aspect of Lana's plot is entirely based on how it affects her relationship with her husband. Kyle himself is clearly a guy who wants to be as good a father and husband as possible, but due to unspoken issues he's in no emotional position whatsoever to do that, and just drags his family down.

I don't think Kyle is surviving this season, and it makes me wonder the ways in which that will affect his family, because so much of their emotional lives are centered on handling and reacting to Kyle.

Superman

Liked the brawl with the possessed soldier. Liked that he knowingly walked into a room full of things that could kill him because he felt he was the only one who could do it. Loved how supportive he was of Lois, and the obvious distance and issues between him and Sam that nevertheless never actually devolved into a fight. Liked the moments where it looked as if he was considering if he would have sided with Kryptonians over humans if his life was different.

Oh, and Jordan had a good part too.

[Vakanai]

My guess is that Natalie doesn't exist on Earth Prime but Natasha does and she just happens to be the niece of that world's John Henry Irons and will conveniently look like the exact same actress as Natalie.

I think that's pretty likely, yeah. Also agree with Jabare that "mysterious circumstances" means Earth Prime John Henry Irons could still be alive - maybe he's keeping low after nearly being murdered by Lex? Possibility for another season, but would just be crowding this season.

[Celgress]

My friend reviews the latest gut-wrenching episode of Superman & Lois "Holding The Wrench". A great Lois-centric episode that shows why civilians matter in superhero drama (an aspect that is often forgotten or ignored along with secret identities today) as my friend puts it in his review - -

[Vordan]

-The framing device of Lois in therapy actually works well I think, she doesn’t have anyone outside the family to unload on so this is how she copes with the stress
-Clark using his heat vision to fix the car is the kind of **** I love
-Ok I love that Jon and Lois are paired up, Jon’s clearly suffering from feelings of uselessness on account of his lack of powers, so I like that he and the other non-powered family members are teamed up
-Lois being one of the people the AI is programmed to respond to is great!
-The Cushings continue to be a good mix of dysfunctional and adorable lol
-Earth Prime Irons dying under “mysterious circumstances”... ok either he’s not dead but he faked his death to go into hiding to escape Lex, or Lex had him killed. Also was kind of cool seeing Clark try the “Batman interrogation” procedure (albeit under gentler circumstances)
-Damn I did not expect them to find out about Irons and Lois being married on his Earth that quickly, and damn they found out Clark killed her on that other world as well (damn I wonder how that’s going to affect Jon going forward?)
-I do like seeing how Clark deals with meeting other evil versions of himself, he clearly kind of takes it personally despite reassurances from others
-Ok Irons daughter being “Natalie” and not “Natasha” makes me think that the theory of there being an Earth Prime Natasha who looks the same but is his niece and not his daughter is on the money
-I liked Kyle’s comparison of the fear of failure vs the regret of having never tried at all
-Damn Jon, poking around in the “creepermobile” wasn’t your brightest idea
-Faster than a speeding bullet for a reason!
-Ok Jon’s definitely suffering from an inferiority complex compared to his dad and brother with how he talks about looking for weapons
-Damn Lois let him have it, in a normal CW show she and Clark would’ve argued with each other too, but it was handled pretty maturely here
-Oh damn Kyle found out Lana blocked him from ending up in the “exec leadership” program, and now Lana is doubling down on the lies. Yeah Kyle is definitely going to end up possessed and/or dead by the end of all this
-Irons planting doubts in Sam’s mind while Project 7734 is getting restarted? Something ugly is coming
-Oh **** a spoilers:

miscarriage?

end of spoilers I wasn’t expecting that; that’s something that could never happen in the comics, too “dark”, but just like Sarah talking about meth labs in Smallville, it’s something that feels so real without being edgy. This show really does a great job of exploring how the Superman franchise can handle serious “real-world” topics
-OH **** I was NOT expecting Edge to have one of his undercover agents in Sam’s employment already, that’s another great twist I didn’t see coming!
-Lois burying herself in work as a way of dealing with her grief is great characterization even if it’s unhealthy as hell
-Jordan finally getting a chance to be supportive of Jon is great, after all the ways Jon has been supportive of Jordan it’s nice to see him return the favor; Also great that he went and helped Sarah with her performance, Jordan finally getting to stop being the “load” is good, makes him more sympathetic and likeable
-Ok Jordan and Sarah finally got super cute together up on that stage lol, I think I finally got some good romantic chemistry there between the two
-And Clark’s finally going to see the inside of Project 7734! Lmao at Sam sheepishly listing all the various weapons he’s got stockpiled to take out Clark if need be
-Clark pushing through the Kryptonite to keep fighting instead of just flopping on the floor like a fish whenever a grain of Kryptonite comes out is pretty much what defines Superman focused media over media with Superman in it when you think about it
-Irons being willing to listen to reason shows he’s not a villain, I hope this is the first step of him becoming the traditional Steel. He doesn’t fully trust Superman yet (understandable), but they’ve started to set him towards that endpoint I feel. God please let him suit up in a Steel mech suit to kick ass alongside Clark!
-Lmao at Sam trying to say he never intended to use 7734 and Clark immediately saying bullshit, he’s not that naive
-Yeah looks like the possession is the plan, but unless Edge is possessed himself I can’t figure out why he would do this
-Damn the Cushings dysfunction springs up yet again, Kyle missing Sarah’s audition after pushing her to do it in the first place sucks. Kyle is actually a great example of how well written the show is, he walks that tightrope between being sympathetic and being a dick, and it takes talent to maintain that balancing act
-Loved the ending with Lois asking for forgiveness from Jon and telling him she understands and that they’re the two extraordinary humans in a world of super people. This was a great Lois/Jon episode!

[Jon Clark]

I was really hoping someone (on the show) would point out that Jon was just doing the same type of stuff Lois does on a regular basis. In fact, I sort of miss not having seen the pre-marriage backstory on this Lois & Clark to know if she had the same "I don't need a (Super)man to protect me" attitude that the Teri Hatcher version had. Would have been nice for Lois realizing after the incident with Jon- Is that what Clark feels like when I dive headfirst into some dangerous situation?